Help for the Homeless

Across the country, non-profit organizations are buying distressed and foreclosed properties to use as low-cost homeless shelters.

By: Melanie Wilson

There are thousands of homeless men and women living across the nation. Some live in large cities while others live on the streets of smaller communities. Few cities have shelters large enough to accommodate the number of homeless living in the area. Some cities can’t even afford to build shelters for their homeless residents; at least they couldn’t until recently.

Many families across the nation are being forced out of their homes because they can no longer afford the increasing payments. While it’s a tough situation for the homeowners the homeless are benefiting from the increasing number of foreclosures. In large cities like Denver non-profit organizations are purchasing recently foreclosed property for thousands of dollars less than market value. These homes are being turned into shelters for the city’s homeless. In the past few months non-profits in Denver have purchased 1214 units for this purpose.

As foreclosures continue to increase across the country we can expect to see more and more cities follow the lead of Denver and purchase homes for the same purpose. Some of these homes may be used for shelters while others might be turned into facilities for treating medical conditions. Regardless of the use the cities homeless residents will be glad to have a warm bed to sleep in when the winter rolls around.